The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-02-04

unsteady.
"Tell away, Bee, that's a dear,
drawled May. II know by your looks
that you've something interesting tt
relate
What's up?" cried new voice, and
tall, ily-faced girl came from an in
ner room, gold pen held lightly il
her right hand and her pale blue tea.
gown trailing gracefully after her.
''You still awaken" said Alice, in
surprise.
The newcomer rubbed her forehead
with her disengaged hand, and replied,
sleepily:
Eyes, got interested in my writing
and couldn't stop. Did you have Z
good time at the fandango?" and she
curled herself up on the rug with lit
tie SILVER, and rested her head against
Mays knee.
Just as usual" replied May, with q
yawn. "I'm getting dreadfully tired
of this life, though"
90 am 1, cr1eu Alice. Il feel as II
| didn't amount to any thing, and / am
so sick of this everlasting dress, dress,
dress, and parties, lunches, dinners,
operas, ETC., that | am ready to go to
the ends of the world to get away from
it."
eff you want a different kind of life,
| am ready to offer you one," said Bee,
soberly, from her perch on the foot Of
the bed
"You?" and all three turned to look
in amazement at their youngest sister,
and the pet and baby of the family.
''You don't need to be so terribly
surprised" she replied, with a little
pout. Il can have thoughts and plans
as well as the rest of you, if l can't
sing divinely,' paint exquisitely,' OF
write 'heart-melting stories.'"
''Of course you cam" cried Alice,
warmly. "And can see that you are
brimful of thoughts and plans this very
minute. So proceed to unburden your
self lest they prove too much for you. y
Your audience is in waiting" said
May, clasping her slender hands above
her dark head, while Ida, the sister in
blue, only smiled up into Bees flushed
face.
"Well, if Alice will put down her
hair-brush, and settle herself in an au-
dience MANNER" said Bee, laughingly,
Ell proceed with my lecture, unfold
my plans and air my thoughts"
Alice obediently laid aside her ivory
handled brush and joined the group on
the rug. And Bee began in her sweet,
earnest voice, while her wistful brown
eyes watched the faces of her beautiful
sisters, as they looked up at her on her
lofty seat above them.
"Now, girls, papa is in awful trouble,
and -
Papa in troublep" calculated Alice
and Ida, in one breath, while May
added, slowly: "In trouble?"
Eyes, in trouble, don't interrupt, I"
and Bee frowned as hard as she could.
"I'll tell you all about it. You know
these horrid strikes have made business
fearfully dull and probably will make
it so for some time to come -
Eyes, yes!" said Alice, hurriedly.
"Well, that affects papa's business,
as well as every body else; and, of
course, he has to be very careful and
not pay out too much money, cause SO
little moneys coming in. Do you
see?"
"Of course! go on" said Alice, as
spokesman for the audience.
"Papa thinks they could have got
through all right, only, what do you
thinkP"
"What? do hur1yr' said Ida, raising
her head from Mays knee to get bet
ter view of the speaker.
"WhY, the under book-keeper and
three Of the best clerks struck to-day,
and papa can't possibly do without
them. And he can't afford to pay them
higher wages, but he's just got to,
cause they understand the business,
specially the clerks, and they take
charge of all those lovely new-style
dishes, Dresden and Sevres, you know,
and that exquisite cut-glass we were
admiring the other day; and papa
doesn't dare hire new, green hands to
take their place. If he could he'd Just
tell those men to leave. And now,
girls, this is my plan" here Bee
jumped up in her excitement --"Let's
take the place of those clerks, and help
papa save the business"
bee, are you crazyP" asked MAY,
slowly, while Ida and Alice looked at
each other and shook their heads.
"No, I'm not" replied their sister,
firmly, "tuy you are, if you won't help
papa. How'd you like it to have him
fail? Then you'd haze to work for a
living, besides having the disgrace"
''But he won't fail" said Ida.
"He may, don't you be too sure.
He looked awfully blue tonight when
he told me about it. Oh, girls! you
say you are tired of the life you are
living. So am /, and now let us 90 to
work and really amount to something.
Papa needs our help, and we may not
always have him, and then we'll be
sorry if we have let him struggle on
alone, working and worrying to keep
us in idleness, and to give us all the
pretty clothes and nice, easy times we
want" and Bee wiped her eyes and
resumed her seat on the bed again.
Quiet reigned for few moments, then
Alice spoke:
Girls, Bee is right, and 1 am
ashamed of myself to think I have
lived along in this miserably selfish way
when l might have been of some real
use in the world"
"Oh! but Alice, think how dreadfully
people will talk" and May turned up
her pug nose in disgust.
"Let theml" replied Alice, concisely.
"They viii talk no matter what we do;
so what is the use of thinking of thatp''